Legacy of the Storm - Part Two
by TempestXtreme
Summary: The second part of the Legacy! FF8/FF9 crossover! Part Three will be an orignal work! R&R Please!
1. Prologue

Legacy of the Storm Part Two – The Crashing Thunder

Prologue – Bad omens

It was a morbid day in Lindblum. Raindrops splattered against the surroundings as if they wanted to destroy everything they touched. Unfortunately for Nature, the wizard known only as Irvine Bloodheart had already done that. Bodies lay scattered in the streets. The bodies were those of the Lindblum soldiers and the citizens of the once-proud city. The monsters that the evil wizard had summoned had all but disappeared; a few of them could still be seen feasting on the corpses of their fallen prey. Among the corpses lay the body of the Princess Eiko and her foster family. They had been the first to die, and their deaths had been the most painful and sadistic of all. Irvine had grinned down at them while the Grand Dragons had ripped Cid and his wife apart, leaving only Eiko alive. The evil wizard had ordered his dragons to back off, and had delighted in killing the child slowly and painfully by first casting Stop on her, and then dissolving her vital organs one-by-one…

And then Celythia Angelheart woke up screaming. The sheer pitch of her scream had caught the attention of the House Master, who came running into Celythia's bedroom. She knelt down by her bed and grabbed the 17-year-old by the shoulders. 

"What's wrong, Celythia?" she asked. "More nightmares?"

Celythia nodded, causing her long, raven-black hair to fall into her sapphire-blue eyes and half cover her beautiful, almost angelic face. 

"Yes," she replied quietly. "I-I saw Lindblum again, only this time I saw the aftermath of the battle: the Regent's wife and foster child were killed with him…"

Her voice trailed off and she started to sob uncontrollably. "Why am I having these dreams?" she said, putting her hands to her face. "Why am I being punished?"

The House Master (or was it Mistress?) shook Celythia gently but firmly. When she spoke, her voice was also gentle but firm:

"You are not being punished! You've done nothing wrong; understand? Nothing!"  
  
Celythia looked at her friend and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Catherine," she said. "You always know how to make me feel better."

Catherine smiled and nodded. "Now get some sleep," she said. "Tomorrow we are going to see the Alexandrian Royal Family. You're going to become the first female Pluto Knight."

Celythia nodded and smiled again. "I will," she said. "Good night."

"Good night."

Celythia lay down and went back to sleep almost immediately. Looking down at her, Catherine could only wonder what the future held for this girl, and why she could predict things before they happen. She just hoped that Celythia was wrong, and that Lindblum wasn't attacked…

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I know it was a short chapter, but this is just the prologue. It isn't as bad as it sounds! 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One – The inauguration and a battle!

Zidane grumbled as he fiddled with his new clothing. _"I hate these clothes," _he thought. _"Too high-class for my taste."_

_ _

Dagger came up in front of him and straightened his silk shirt. "You look good," she said with a smile. "Who knows, you might be a great king yet."

Zidane grinned. "Yeah, sure," he said. "If you can be such a convincing commoner, I can easily be a king."

Dagger looked at him and straightened her white dress. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she asked. Zidane laughed. 

"Of course!" he said. "Hey, can you help me with this buckle? It seems to be stuck."

Dagger unhooked the buckle and readjusted it so that it would not be so uncomfortable. "There," she said. _"Honestly, he's like a child when it comes to getting ready for royal gatherings."_

_ _

There came a knock on their door and Beatrix walked in. "Your Highnesses, we are ready for you now."

Dagger nodded. "We're coming," she said. "Tell Steiner to stop pacing, I can hear him from here."

Beatrix suppressed a chuckle. "Yes, Your Highness," she said. She walked out of the room, and the sound of pacing stopped.

"We should get going," Dagger said. "I still can't believe you made it back here."

Zidane smiled and hugged her. "Hey, I had to," he said. "I had to come home to you."

Dagger smiled back. "I know."

They linked arms and began to walk toward the throne room.

----------------------------------------

Celythia stood uneasily between her two escorts. She was wearing a violet-coloured silk dress covered by silver armour, but she didn't carry a weapon. 

_"I have my magic," _she thought. _"I don't think I'll needing a weapon any time soon."_

_ _

Besides, even if she were in need of a weapon, she could easily summon her Enchanted Daggers into her hands. The doors to the throne room opened, and General Beatrix came out and greeted Celythia personally. 

"Celythia Angelheart?" she asked. Celythia nodded slowly. Why did Beatrix come out personally? Did she attract that much attention from the royal family?

"The King and Queen will see you now," Beatrix said. "If you will follow me, I'll escort you to them."

Celythia nodded and followed Beatrix into the chamber.

--------------------------------------

Zidane sat uneasily in his throne. He wasn't used to this! All his life he had been a thief, treasure hunter and actor. He had never dreamed that he would be the King of Alexandria, or be married to the Queen! A flourish sounded and Beatrix walked into the room followed by a girl in violet-coloured dress and silver battle armour. 

_"Huh? She's wearing armour, but doesn't carry a weapon. Is she a mage of some kind?" _Zidane thought. He looked over at Dagger. She had also noticed Celythia's lack of armament, and looked a little surprised herself. Beatrix bowed in front of them, and Zidane felt just a little embarrassed. Still, it was nice to be getting some kind of respect from the woman who had defeated them three times. 

"Queen Garnet, King Zidane," Beatrix began, "this is Celythia Angelheart. As you know, she is here to become the first female Pluto Knight. _And maybe show Steiner and his men how to fight…_"

Dagger nodded and studied Celythia. She guessed that she was about 17 years old, and she looked like a capable person. The real question was: could she fight? Dagger decided to see. 

"General Beatrix."

Beatrix stood to attention. "Yes, Highness?"

"I want you to battle Celythia. First blood wins."

Zidane, Beatrix and Celythia stared at her. Zidane leaned over and whispered: "Are you sure that's a good idea, Dagger? Beatrix is a strong fighter; I know that from personal experience. This girl hasn't got a chance against her!"

Dagger looked at her husband. "If this girl is anything like the reports I've been receiving, she stands a good chance of winning."

Zidane blinked at her. "What reports?"

"Oh, that's right! I received them while you were missing. This girl has strong magic at her disposal, as well as being a good hand-to-hand fighter and Master of the Blade. That's why I asked her to join our military ranks."

Zidane sighed softly. "If you say so. I still say this is a terrible idea. This girl has no weapons, or haven't you noticed that?"

"I can see that," Dagger said. "Still, this should be interesting to see how she fights."

She turned back to Beatrix and Celythia. "Well?" she asked. Beatrix bowed.

"Of course, Highness," she said. Celythia's face remained straight, but inside she was smirking. 

_"They want to see me in battle? I'll show them what they want to see then!" _she thought. She took off the armour and tossed it aside. "I fight better without it," she explained. Beatrix shrugged and took out her sword.

"You have no weapon, Celythia," she said. "Are you sure you want this?"

Celythia smirked. "Look again."

Beatrix looked at Celythia's hands and was shocked to see that she now held two daggers in each hand. The dagger's blades were made of silver and had images of dragons carved delicately into them. The handles were made from gold and were slightly curved and had a sun and a moon carved into them.

"Nice trick," she said calmly. Celythia smiled.

"That's not my only 'trick'," she replied. She suddenly ran at Beatrix and attempted to cut her arm. Beatrix blocked Celythia's daggers and pushed her back before trying to strike her with the flat end of her sword. Celythia stepped aside and brought her knee into Beatrix's kidney area. Beatrix grunted, and brought her forearm down into Celythia's chest. The teenage knight-to-be stepped back a foot and swung her dagger in a low arc. Beatrix blocked that attack and tried to use Thunder Slash on Celythia. But instead of getting hurt, Celythia took in the energy! Celythia took advantage of Beatrix's surprise. She knocked the Save the Queen from Beatrix's hands with one of her daggers and somersaulted, kicking the general in the face and opening up her lip.

"Stop!" came Dagger's voice. "Celythia has drawn first blood, and is the winner of the fight."

Celythia caused her daggers to disappear to wherever she had summoned them from and held out a hand toward Beatrix. 

"No hard feelings, I hope," she said. Beatrix took her hand and stood up. 

"None at all," she said. "You're a very good fighter, Celythia. Where did you learn to do that somersault?"

"I…don't know," said Celythia. "I've been able to fight like this since I was very young. I don't know where or how I learnt to."

Beatrix frowned and turned to Dagger. She made a motion with her hand that said: "She's an odd one. I think we had better watch her closely."

Dagger nodded and replied with her hand. "You're right."

Beatrix nodded again, and Dagger stood up. 

"Celythia, you have proven yourself worthy of being in our royal guard. General Beatrix, will you do the honours?" she said. 

"Of course, Highness," Beatrix said. "Celythia, would you please kneel?"

Celythia knelt down quietly, and Beatrix put her sword on each of Celythia's shoulders in turn.

"I now pronounce you Lady Celythia of the Pluto Knights. Please rise."

Celythia got to her feet slowly. "I thank you for this honour," she said. "I promise that I won't disappoint you."

"I'm sure you won't," Dagger said. "General Beatrix, will you show Lady Celythia to her quarters?"   
  


"At once, my Queen," said Beatrix. "Celythia, if you'll just follow me, I will show you to your quarters."

Celythia nodded and followed Beatrix. When they were out of the room, Dagger looked at Zidane. 

"You probably didn't know what Beatrix and I were saying with our hand signals," she said. "But I'll tell you: we both feel that we should watch Celythia."

"Why?" Zidane asked. "She seems like a decent person."

"Yes, but you saw her daggers."

Zidane nodded. "They look like normal daggers to me," he said. 

"They were magic daggers," Dagger said. "They can only be used by people with strong magical potential. The fact that Celythia can use them means that she could very well be a dangerous person, possibly more dangerous than Kuja or Garland."

Zidane looked thoughtful. "I see your point. So, who are you going to assign to watch her?"

"I'm not sure."

They spent the rest of the day tending to other visitors.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two – A Silent Watcher

Balamb Garden

_ _

Tempest watched his daughter take out another trio of Grats. Although he was somewhat concerned about her safety, he knew that she had the potential to surpass her mother in terms of sheer power. 

_"You love your daughter."_

_ _

The voice belonged to Shiva. Marrin had decided to un-Junction her for today, so the Ice Guardian had just kind of hung around Garden. She had been with Tempest for a while now, not that he minded. It was nice to know that this world's Summon Creatures cared about their masters.

_"Of course I love my daughter," _he replied. _"She was kidnapped as a child and placed here, on this world. I'm just glad that we've finally found her… But now, we have to find her two sisters on other worlds."_

_ _

"Marrin has sisters?" 

_ _

_"Yes."_

_ _

_"Are you going to tell her?"_

_ _

_"Not yet, no."_

_ _

_"…"_

_ _

_"What's wrong?"_

_ _

_"It's Marrin. Her powers are growing at a frightening rate. If they continue to climb like this, she'll be a threat to SeeD, and they might have to fight her."_

_ _

_"…"_

_ _

--------------------------

Alexandria Castle

_ _

With her long black hair and even darker brown eyes, Corana Ghask could have been just another traveller resting in Alexandria and visiting the castle. With her slender figure and two-handed sword, she was both attractive and menacing, especially in her jet-black travelling clothes and even blacker hooded cape and boots. She was surprised that none of the local law enforcers had tried to arrest her, or stop to ask who she was. 

_"Then again, I'm not much of a threat unless I feel threatened," _she thought. _"But why did Tempest send me here?"_

_ _

She knew the answer to that, of course. It was because she blended in perfectly with the people of this world. The way she walked, talked and acted were all-medieval in nature. Even her style of fighting and choice of magic could be considered medieval. 

_"But that doesn't mean that I have to like it."_

_ _

She had seen Celythia's little skirmish with General Beatrix, and was mildly impressed with the young girls' fighting skills. She smiled to herself; if only Celythia knew just where her skills originated, or how she knew the spell to summon the Dragon Fang daggers into her hands during combat. 

_"She believes that she found that spell book by accident. She has no idea what kind of power that spell book has. If it falls into the wrong hands, this world is doomed."_

_ _

Corana sighed heavily and shifted her position slightly. Taking on the form of a statue to blend into the surroundings wasn't an easy task. She was beginning to feel hungry and tired, two things she hated to feel separately, and here she was feeling them at once! 

_"I'm beginning to hate my powers."_

_ _

-----------------

"Tell me, where did you get those daggers that you used?" 

Celythia looked over to Beatrix as they walked towards her new quarters. 

"I've been able to summon them for as long as I can remember," she said. "It's as if they chose me to be their master."

"Interesting."

Celythia laughed. "Yes," she said. "It _is _rather interesting, isn't it?"

"Here's your room."

Beatrix unlocked the door and gave Celythia the key. They entered the room, and Celythia was awestruck by its sheer beauty. The room, while small, made Celythia think that it was at one point inhabited by somebody of noble birth who had a lot of Gil. The carpets were made from some kind of soft, lovable material and the room was furnished with furniture made from oak. The furniture included a dining table (complete with six oaken chairs), two large chairs for visitors and a small table in the middle of what was obviously the sitting room. The kitchen, too, was small but was equipped with what Celythia needed to make herself breakfast, lunch and supper. The bedroom contained a single bed (Celythia's love life was almost non-existent anyway) with soft cotton coverings, and a mirrored table for Celythia to make herself up in front of in the mornings. The windows were small, but they looked out into the streets and were barred so that no intruders could get inside (like any sane thief would try and break into the home of a Knight anyway). There was also a small bathroom with a toilet and a small bath. All in all, it was a lovely home, and Celythia loved it.

"Wow…"

Beatrix smiled. "Yes, it is quite impressive. Well, get yourself comfortable with your new home and then you can come and get your equipment from our armoury later. Have a nice day."

Beatrix walked out, politely closing the door behind her. Celythia sighed and jumped onto her bed. It was so comfortable! She would have napped, if it weren't for the loud explosion that rocked the halls of Alexandria castle…

----------------

_Balamb Garden_

_ _

Rebecca woke up with a start. Something was going to happen here in Garden, she could feel it. She got up and dressed quickly before rushing out to find Tempest.

-----------------

_Alexandria Castle_

_ _

Corana almost fell from her place on top of Alexandria castle as the explosion shook the newly rebuilt castle. 

_"What was that?!" _she thought. _"Is somebody attacking Alexandria?"_

_ _

She quickly changed back to her original human form and jumped from the roof, landing safely on the streets below. The guards were scrambling about the castle grounds and took no notice of her. 

_"This is bad!" _she thought. _"What if somebody's found out about Celythia? She could be in danger! I have to find her fast!"_

_ _

Corana ran into the castle to find Celythia before anything bad happened to her.

----------------------------

Celythia was out in the hallway mere seconds after the explosion. Was the castle under attack?

_"That explosion…it came from the West Wing! That's where the Royal Chambers are!"_ she thought. Without a second thought, she started run as fast as she could towards the west wing. When she eventually did get there, Zidane and Garnet were safe, but dirty from the dust. 

_"At least they're safe!" _she thought. _"Were they the target?"_

_ _

"My Queen!"

Steiner came running into the room, his armour making his presence known before he even entered the room. Zidane looked at him.

"Dagger's fine," he said. "Oh, and so am I. Thanks for asking."

_"Dagger?" _Celythia thought. _"Is he referring to the Queen?"_

_ _

"My apologies," Steiner was saying. "I am glad that you are both safe."

Zidane just grunted and Dagger sighed. "We're lucky to be alive," she said. "What caused that explosion?"

"I wish I knew…" Zidane said. "We'll have to increase security around the castle. Steiner, I'm leaving that up to you."

Steiner saluted. "At once!" he said. He ran off, his armour clanking as he did so. Then Zidane noticed Celythia.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

_"Well the answer to that should be obvious," _Celythia thought. "I came to see if you two were all right."

Garnet walked over to her. "Thank you for your concern," she said. "As you can see, we're fine. You should really be looking after your fellow knights."

Celythia nodded and bowed. "Of course," she said. She ran off.

"She seems loyal," Zidane said. 

"Yes," said Garnet. 

------------

In the shadows, Corana watched and smiled grimly. That bomb wasn't meant for Zidane and Dagger, it was meant for Celythia. Somebody wanted the young knight dead, and Corana was going to make sure that that did not happen. She slid off silently without being noticed to see if anybody in the town knew anything about this.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three – The Proposal

Deling City

_ _

"Where is she?!" demanded the young man. "Where is the Sorceress Rinoa?!"

General Caraway held the wound on his shoulder to stop the bleeding. He was beginning to wish that he could use magic; maybe then this young Slayer wouldn't be so intolerable. 

"I won't tell you!" he spat. "I won't betray my daughter!"

The young man waved his sword above his red-haired head and glared at Caraway through his grey eyes. 

"Never mind then," he said. "I'll simply search for her myself!"

The red head turned and walked out, his black trench coat flaring behind him dramatically. Caraway got up and phoned Garden. 

"You have reached the Balamb Garden reception. Please wait a moment while we transfer your…"

Caraway slammed the phone down and leaned against his desk. Rinoa was in danger, and there was no way to warn her! 

----------------------

Squall ran his fingers through Rinoa's dark hair and smiled down at her. She was so beautiful, so innocent…yet she was a possible threat to the world with her Sorceress powers. Squall closed his eyes and thought about his decision. If he wanted to protect Rinoa, he had to quit SeeD. But Garden and SeeD had been his entire life up until now. That is, until Rinoa came into the picture. Sweet, beautiful Rinoa. She had penetrated Squall's shell and had shown him what it meant to really _live_, and now, because of his love for her, he had to leave his home. 

"Rinoa."

Rinoa sighed softly, happy to be in Squall's arms. "Yes, Squall?" she said. 

"Will you marry me?"

Rinoa looked up at him in surprise. He had just proposed to her, hadn't he? 

"Squall…" she said. "Of course I'll marry you!"

Squall smiled softly. "I love you," he said. 

"And I love you, Squall," Rinoa replied, snuggling against him in his bed. 

-------------------------

Alexandria 

_ _

Corana slammed the man into the wall and held him there with her one hand. 

"Now, what do you know about the explosion at the castle this morning?" she asked for the fifth time. The man just leered at her. 

"You think I'll tell you?" he said. "Ha! Stupid little girl!"

Corana punched him in the stomach, and he buckled over. "What did you say?" she said, lifting his head up and staring at him. The man coughed loudly.

"There's a man in the Theatre District," he said with a wheeze. "He knows something, you should go and talk to him."

Corana dropped him and walked off without a word. Her next stop was the theatre district.

--------------------

Meanwhile, Celythia was conducting an investigation of her own. She had been all over the industrial district asking the locals if they knew anything about the explosion at the castle that morning. Most of the people just shook his or her head. Then, Celythia found an old man sitting on the side of the street. 

"Hey, you," he said. "I heard you're looking for some information."

Celythia looked at the old man and knelt down next to him. 

"Do you have information, old man?" she asked. 

"For a price."

Celythia eyed him. "How much?"

"Two-hundred Gil."

Celythia looked at him for a moment, and then produced four hundred Gil. "Tell me everything you know, and this money is yours."

The old man eyed the Gil eagerly. "In the theatre district there's a man from Lindblum. He's been working on some crazy new weapon that blows up after a certain period of time. Go and talk to him if you wanna know anything about the explosion at the castle."

Celythia handed him the money. "Thank you."

She stood up and walked off. The old man cackled and pocketed the money. "No, thank you," he said. 

---------------

Corana was having trouble with the Alexandrian Soldiers. They refused to let her go, just because she 'looked suspicious'. 

"Look, I've done nothing wrong!" she said. "Why can't you just let me pass?"

"We've been ordered to detain suspicious looking people," said the Lead Soldier. "Until you're cleared, you have to stay here."

Corana sighed. _"Dammit," _she thought. _"This is all because somebody planted a bomb in the castle!"_

_ _

"Fine," she said eventually, and sat down. 

-------------------------

The soldiers all saluted Celythia as she walked past them. She looked into a nearby building and saw two soldiers and a woman in black arguing, but decided to leave them alone. 

_"I have to find this man from Lindblum," _she thought. She eventually did. He was tall, with red hair and green eyes and wore silk clothes and brown boots. He was working on some kind of box that let off steam every two minutes. She stood next to him until he noticed her, at which point he put down his tools and stood up. 

"How may I help you?" he asked. 

"May I ask what this device is?" Celythia said. 

"What, this?" the man asked. "It's called a bomb. It's designed to explode after a certain period of time. I plan to use it in mining."

Celythia summoned her daggers. "You're under arrest," she said.

"Whatever for?" the man asked, astonished. 

"Last night, one of these 'bombs' was planted in the castle and nearly killed the King and Queen," Celythia said. "Now put your hands up and come with me."

The man stared at her for a moment and took out a small orb. He threw the orb onto the floor and a cloud of smoke came from it. While Celythia was coughing and trying to clear the smoke away, the man ran off. When the smoke cleared, Celythia saw that he had gotten away.

_"This is not good," _she thought. _"I have to report to Steiner, he'll want to know about this."_

_ _

She made her way back to the castle to report to Steiner and Beatrix. 


End file.
